Date range on chart includes dates not on worksheet

[Peter]

Pulling my hair out! I've got a worksheet recording
student progress--so there are no weekend or holiday
dates. But when I make a bar chart and copy the
appropriate date series into the "Category (X)axis
labels" field, it inserts all the weekend and holiday
dates as well. And, of course, creates 0-value bars.
What am I doing wrong? Tnamks in advance.

 

[Debra Dalgleish]

The x-axis has defaulted to a time-scale. To change the setting:

Select the chart
Choose Chart>Options
Select the Axes tab
For Category (X) axis, choose Category, click OK

 

[GK]

When the X data series are formatted as dates, Excel treats the X-axis
as if it were numeric (as in a scattergram).

Perhaps you can control this by formatted the series in plain text
(writing in the actual dates)

 

[Peter]

Thanks, Debra--it worked. That must have been the ONE
setting I didn't try out. I do remember unchecking the
automatic "Category (X) axis" and then formatting the
series as Text--which didn't work.